f-defeating. Close To The CustomerThe excellent companies listened regularly and intently to customers, instead of treating them like they were a nuisance. Other companies talk about it but these companies do it. IBM hasn't been a technology leader for decades. It's dominance was because of service. The head of IBM World-Trade said that IBM acted as though it was on the verge of losing every customer. A significant part of the excellent companies' mission statements spoke of service. They tended to be more driven by a focus on the customers than technology or cost.Autonomy and EntrepreneurshipThe excellent companies strive for leadership and innovation. They seem like a network of people who are encouraged to let their imagination go in all directions, rather than a large corporation. They are big and yet act small. Product champions are innovators who believe so strongly in their product they take on the challenge of manuevering a product through the system. The companies indulge them because a volunteer champion was key to success. When someone had to be talked into a task the chances of success dropped dramatically. New ideas often show little promise early on. The champion succeeds because he is a driving force behind innovations, and he believes in the product.Productivity Through PeopleThese companies treat the rank and file as the source of quality and productivity improvements. Respect for the individual means that every worker is a source of ideas, not just a pair of hands. They have shown that if you treat people as adults, as partners, they really do view themselves as an extended family. There is an apparent absence of a rigidly followed chain of command in these companies. Informality seems to spark a free-flowing exchange of ideas. Bringing financial information to the blue-collar workers makes the goals clear and the job seem more of a partnership. Very few layers are truly needed to make the companies work. Hands-on, Val...
